Ventilatob



l. H. SMIDLEY.

VENTILATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 31, 1920.

1,369,566. Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

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To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, JOHN fl. filivrmnn'r, acitizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland,have invented new and useful improvements in Ventilators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to ventilators and will be described as adapted foruse in win dows or window openings in houses and other buildings. It isto be understood, however, that the improved ventilator is capable ofuse in other places where proper and satisfactory ventilation is needed.

The object of my invention is to provide a ventilator which isautomatic, positive and noiseless in operation and controlled entirelyby air pressure and gravity in the closing and opening movementsthereof; also one which cannot get out of order and is practicallyindestructible in use under ordinary conditions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ventilator embodyingin conjunction with a suitable housing or casing, a closure freelymovable with minimum friction and arranged to be moved by air pressureto a closed position and also adapted to be moved to its normally openposition by gravity; to eliminate noise and to render the operation ofthe closure more or less sensitive to air pressure.

The improved ventilator opens and remains open under ordinary light airpressure permitting air topass by the same and is automatically closedby air pressure when the latter becomes excessive or such as to producea draft upon persons within the house and in the vicinity of theventilator when placed in a window orother opening.

A further object in view is to'provide in conjunction with a window, orother opening, upper and lower ventilating members to admit air totheinterior of the house and permit air to flow to find exit therefrom;one of such ventilating members, (preferably the lower one) being moresensitive than the other to adequately protect persons in the vicinitythereof. In this way a cir' culation of air is obtained without anydiscomfort or danger to such persons.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement ofinstrumentalities herein shown, described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectionthrough Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

Application filed March 31, 1920. Serial No. 370,225.

a window frame and opening, showing the use of upper and lowerventilators in proper relation thereto and to the top and bottom windowsashes.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the upper ventilator on anenlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary outside elevation of the same.

Fig. {L is a fragmentary inside elevation thereof.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the same.

1F ig. 6 is a vertical cross section through the lower ventilator.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary outside elevation of the same.

it ig. 8' is a fragmentary inside elevation thereof.

lin the preferred installation of the im proved ventilator, I employ inconjunction with a window 10 and top and bottom sashes 11 and 12, anupper ventilator or ventilating member 13 and a lower ventilator orventilating member 14. Such installation permits air to enter a buildingthrough the lower part of the window opening and flow out wardly throughthe top thereof, and as will hereinafter appear, in case of gusts orexcessive winds or air pressure both the upper and lower ventilatingmembers will automatically close, preventing dust, smoke, snow, and thelike from being blown into the building.

The lower ventilator or ventilating member 14.- embodies a housing orbox-like casing shown as comprising an outside wall 15, an inclinedinside wall 16 and an outwardly sloping or inclined bottom surface 17.The wall 15 is formed with an air inlet 18, and the wall 16 is formedwith an air outlet 19 which is surrounded by a seating flange 20 for afreely and bodily movable closure 21.

The closure 21 is shown in the form of a hollow hemisphere and half ballas shown 6 and is disposed with its open side ing an aindistributingchamber 25 which divides theiwhole incoming current into a great numberof smaller currents which are not attended with dlscomfort and danger topersons nearby. The housing is further shown as equipped with a packingorweatherstrip 26 for, air-excluding contact with the adjacent windowsash, as shown in Fig. 1. The strip 26 is clamped between parts of thehousing as shown in Fig. 6.

The upperventilator or ventilating member 13 embodies an outside wall 27having an air port 28, an inside wall 29 having a port 30, a top wall 81and an outwardly slopingor inclined bottom surface 32. The port 30-ispartially obstructed by a recticulated guard 33 which forms a seat andstop for a closure 34 restrained as to its amplitude and direction ofmovement by an open- .work or meshed wire cage 35 having an obstructedend wall 36 and freely open at the opposite end as shown in Fig. 5. Theend 36 is spaced from the port 28 so the closure 34.- cannot obstructthe latter but said closure upon being propelled upwardly along theinclined surface 32 may obstruct and close the port 30 to prevent gustsof'air, dust and the like from enteringthe building. When the closure,which is shown in the form of a hollow sphereor ball of soft orresilient materialsuch as rubber, leather or fiber, rolls down theinelinedsurface 32 by gravity upon reduction of air pressure from theoutside, said-closure is stopped by the end wall 36 of the cage leavingthe ventilator open and free for thepassage ofair therethrough in eitherdirection. A packing or weather strip 37 attached to the'housing of themember 13 contacts with the adjacent window sash, as shown in Fig. 1. IV

In one ventilator member the closure rolls on an inclined floor orsurface under the action of air pressure and gravity while in the otherventilator member the closure being freely suspended swings under airpressure and gravity. In both cases the closures move bodily or at everypoint toward and from their closed and open positions and, being of suchmaterial as above indicated, such movements are rendered noiseless andaccompanied by little or no friction and wear. In each case the housingmay be of any necessary length and have any required number of ports,inlets and outlets and a corresponding number of closures and seats asindicated in the drawings. The closure 21, being more sensitive than theclosure 34, is generally used at the bottom of a window opening to addto the comfort and safety of persons near the window.

Claims:

1. A ventilator embodying a housing haw ing an air inlet and an airoutlet, and a closure for said outlet freely movable as a whole in aninclined path under the action of air pressure and gravity to cover anduncover said outlet, said closure having a working face of sphericalformation, and a reticulated seat for said closure adjacent to the airoutlet.

2. A ventilator embodying a housing having an air inlet and an airoutlet, and a resilient closure for said outlet freely movable as awhole in an inclined path nearly horizontal under the action of airpressure and gravity to cover and uncover said outlet.

3. A ventilator embodying a housing having an air inlet and an airoutlet, and a flexible closure for said outlet freely movable as a wholein an inclined but nearly horizontal path under the action of airpressure and I gravity to cover and uncover said outlet.

4. In window ventilation, the combination of an upper ventilator and alower ventilator, each ventilator embodying a housing having an inletand an outlet, and bodily movable air pressure controlled closures for

